Video on Demand for Audio/Video Recording and Communication Devices

ABSTRACT

In a battery-powered audio/video recording and communication device having a camera, the length of a preset interval (the interval between instances of the device sending a request to a network to check whether any user requests to access the camera have been received) may be adjusted upward or downward in order to balance the competing interests of reducing latency (e.g. reducing the delay that the user may experience when trying to access the camera) and conserving battery life. The present embodiments advantageously balance these competing interests by initially setting the length of the preset interval to be relatively short to reduce latency, but automatically increasing the length of the preset interval as the battery charge is depleted, thereby extending battery life. The present embodiments also advantageously enable the length of the preset interval to be increased after the battery is recharged, thereby reducing latency.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 15/897,066,filed on Feb. 14, 2018, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.15/380,044, filed on Dec. 15, 2016, which claims priority to provisionalapplication Ser. No. 62/289,114, filed on Jan. 29, 2016 and provisionalapplication Ser. No. 62/267,762, filed on Dec. 15, 2015. The entirecontents of the priority applications are hereby incorporated byreference as if fully set forth.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present embodiments relate to audio/video (AV) recording andcommunication devices, including A/V recording and communicationdoorbell systems. In particular, the present embodiments relate toimprovements in the functionality of A/V recording and communicationdevices that strengthen the ability of such devices to reduce crime andenhance public safety.

BACKGROUND

Home safety is a concern for many homeowners and renters. Those seekingto protect or monitor their homes often wish to have video and audiocommunications with visitors, for example, those visiting an externaldoor or entryway. AudioNideo (A/V) recording and communication devices,such as doorbells, provide this functionality, and can also aid in crimedetection and prevention. For example, audio and/or video captured by anA/V recording and communication device can be uploaded to the cloud andrecorded on a remote server. Subsequent review of the A/V footage canaid law enforcement in capturing perpetrators of home burglaries andother crimes. Further, the presence of one or more A/V recording andcommunication devices on the exterior of a home, such as a doorbell unitat the entrance to the home, acts as a powerful deterrent againstwould-be burglars.

SUMMARY

The various embodiments of the present audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication devices have several features, no single one of which issolely responsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting thescope of the present embodiments as expressed by the claims that follow,their more prominent features now will be discussed briefly. Afterconsidering this discussion, and particularly after reading the sectionentitled “Detailed Description,” one will understand how the features ofthe present embodiments provide the advantages described herein.

One aspect of the present embodiments includes the realization that fromtime to time it may be advantageous for a user to be able to remotelyaccess the camera of his or her A/V recording and communicationdevice(s). Such functionality would enable the user to observe remotelyany events taking place in the field of view of the camera, therebyenhancing the security provided by the A/V recording and communicationdevice(s).

In a first aspect, a method is provided for an audio/video (A/V)recording and communication device, the device including a processor anda camera, the method comprising the processor transitioning from alow-power state to an active state, and then sending a data request to anetwork device to determine whether a user request to access the camerahas been received by the network device; if a user request to access thecamera has been received by the network device, then the processorreceiving a positive response from the network device, and then thecamera capturing video images from a field of view of the camera; and ifno user request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice, then the processor receiving a negative response from thenetwork device, and then the processor reverting from the active stateto the low-power state.

In an embodiment of the first aspect, the method further comprises, ifno user request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice, the processor waiting, after reverting from the active state tothe low-power state, for an interval, and then the processor againtransitioning from the low-power state to the active state, and thensending another data request to the network device to determine whethera user request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the interval is 10 seconds.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the device further includes abattery, and the method further comprises the processor receiving acommand from the network device to adjust a length of the interval basedon an amount of charge left in the battery.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the command instructs theprocessor to increase the length of the interval if the amount of chargeleft in the battery is below a threshold value.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the command instructs theprocessor to decrease the length of the interval if the amount of chargeleft in the battery is above a threshold value.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the method further comprises,if a user request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice, the device transmitting the video images to the network.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the method further comprises,if a user request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice, the camera powering up from a dormant state or powered-off stateprior to capturing the video images from the field of view of thecamera.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the network device is aserver.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the data request is aHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) get.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the positive response fromthe network device comprises a HTTP 200 status code.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the negative response fromthe network device comprises a HTTP 404 status code.

In another embodiment of the first aspect, the device is a doorbell.

In a second aspect, an audio/video (A/V) recording and communicationdevice is provided, the device comprising a processor; and a camera;wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions whereby theprocessor transitions from a low-power state to an active state, andthen sends a data request to a network device to determine whether auser request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice; if a user request to access the camera has been received by thenetwork device, then the processor receives a positive response from thenetwork device, and then the camera captures video images from a fieldof view of the camera; and if no user request to access the camera hasbeen received by the network device, then the processor receives anegative response from the network device, and then the processorreverts from the active state to the low-power state.

In an embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby, if no user request to accessthe camera has been received by the network device, the processor waits,after reverting from the active state to the low-power state, for aninterval, and then the processor again transitions from the low-powerstate to the active state, and then sends another data request to thenetwork device to determine whether a user request to access the camerahas been received by the network device.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the interval is 10 seconds.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the device further includesa battery, and the method further comprises the processor receiving acommand from the network device to adjust a length of the interval basedon an amount of charge left in the battery.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the command instructs theprocessor to increase the length of the interval if the amount of chargeleft in the battery is below a threshold value.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the command instructs theprocessor to decrease the length of the interval if the amount of chargeleft in the battery is above a threshold value.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby, if a user request to accessthe camera has been received by the network device, the device transmitsthe video images to the network.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby, if a user request to accessthe camera has been received by the network device, the camera powers upfrom a dormant state or powered-off state prior to capturing the videoimages from the field of view of the camera.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the network device is aserver.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the data request is aHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) get.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the positive response fromthe network device comprises a HTTP 200 status code.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the negative response fromthe network device comprises a HTTP 404 status code.

In another embodiment of the second aspect, the device is a doorbell.

In a third aspect, a method is provided for an audio/video (A/V)recording and communication device, the device including a processor, acamera, and a battery, the method comprising the processor transitioningfrom a low-power state to an active state, and then sending a datarequest to a network device to determine whether a user request toaccess the camera has been received by the network device; if a userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device,then the processor receiving a positive response from the networkdevice, and then the camera capturing video images from a field of viewof the camera; if no user request to access the camera has been receivedby the network device, then the processor receiving a negative responsefrom the network device, and then the processor reverting from theactive state to the low-power state, and then waiting for an interval,and then the processor again transitioning from the low-power state tothe active state, and then sending another data request to the networkdevice to determine whether a user request to access the camera has beenreceived by the network device; and the processor receiving a commandfrom the network device to adjust a length of the interval based on anamount of charge left in the battery.

In an embodiment of the third aspect, the interval is 10 seconds.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the command instructs theprocessor to increase the length of the interval if the amount of chargeleft in the battery is below a threshold value.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the command instructs theprocessor to decrease the length of the interval if the amount of chargeleft in the battery is above a threshold value.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises, if a userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device,the device transmitting the video images to the network.

Another embodiment of the third aspect further comprises, if a userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device,the camera powering up from a dormant state or powered-off state priorto capturing the video images from the field of view of the camera.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the network device is aserver.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the data request is aHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) get.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the positive response fromthe network device comprises a HTTP 200 status code.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the negative response fromthe network device comprises a HTTP 404 status code.

In another embodiment of the third aspect, the device is a doorbell.

In a fourth aspect, an audio/video (A/V) recording and communicationdevice is provided, the device comprising a processor; a camera; and abattery; wherein the processor is configured to execute instructionswhereby the processor transitions from a low-power state to an activestate, and then sends a data request to a network device to determinewhether a user request to access the camera has been received by thenetwork device; if a user request to access the camera has been receivedby the network device, then the processor receives a positive responsefrom the network device, and then the camera captures video images froma field of view of the camera; if no user request to access the camerahas been received by the network device, then the processor receives anegative response from the network device, and then the processorreverts from the active state to the low-power state, and then theprocessor waits for an interval, and then the processor againtransitions from the low-power state to the active state, and then sendsanother data request to the network device to determine whether a userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device;and the processor then receives a command from the network device toadjust a length of the interval based on an amount of charge left in thebattery.

In an embodiment of the fourth aspect, the interval is 10 seconds.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the command instructs theprocessor to increase the length of the interval if the amount of chargeleft in the battery is below a threshold value.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the command instructs theprocessor to decrease the length of the interval if the amount of chargeleft in the battery is above a threshold value.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby, if a user request to accessthe camera has been received by the network device, the device transmitsthe video images to the network.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby, if a user request to accessthe camera has been received by the network device, the camera powers upfrom a dormant state or powered-off state prior to capturing the videoimages from the field of view of the camera.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the network device is aserver.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the data request is aHypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) get.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the positive response fromthe network device comprises a HTTP 200 status code.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the negative response fromthe network device comprises a HTTP 404 status code.

In another embodiment of the fourth aspect, the device is a doorbell.

In a fifth aspect, an audio/video (A/V) recording and communicationdevice is provided, comprising: a camera; a battery; and a processorconfigured to execute instructions whereby: the processor transitionsfrom a low-power state to an active state, and then sends a data requestto a network device to determine whether a user request to access thecamera has been received by the network device; upon determining that auser request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice, then the processor receives a positive response from the networkdevice, and then the camera captures video images from a field of viewof the camera; upon determining that no user request to access thecamera has been received by the network device, then the processorreceives a negative response from the network device, and then theprocessor reverts from the active state to the low-power state, and thenthe processor waits for an interval, and then the processor againtransitions from the low-power state to the active state, and then sendsanother data request to the network device to determine whether a userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device;and the processor then receives a command from the network deviceinstructing the processor to increase the length of the interval upondetermining that an amount of charge left in the battery is below atleast one of a first threshold value and a second threshold value lessthan the first threshold value, wherein the increase in the length ofthe interval is greater when the amount of charge left in the battery isdetermined to be below the second threshold value than when the amountof charge left in the battery is determined to be below the firstthreshold value but above the second threshold value.

In an embodiment of the fifth aspect, upon determining that the userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device,the A/V recording and communication device transmitting the video imagesto the network device.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the data request includes afirst battery charge level indicative of the amount of charge left inthe battery and the another data request includes a second batterycharge level indicative of the amount of charge left in the battery.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, a battery charge level istransmitted to the network device at a second interval that is greaterthan the first interval.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the camera is in a dormantstate until the user request to access the camera has been received bythe network device, and the camera powers on from the dormant stateprior to capturing the video images from the field of view of thecamera.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the network device is atleast one of a server, an application programming interface (API), and astorage device.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the A/V recording andcommunication device is one of a doorbell and a security camera.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby: the processor then receivesa command from the network device instructing the processor to refrainfrom sending data requests to the network device to determine whether auser request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice in response to the amount of charge left in the battery beingbelow a third threshold value less than the second threshold value; andthe processor then refrains from sending data requests to the networkdevice to determine whether a user request to access the camera has beenreceived by the network device.

In another embodiment of the fifth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby: the processor then receivesa command from the network device instructing the processor to againsend data requests to the network device at a second interval upondetermining that the amount of charge left in the battery is above atleast one of the first threshold, the second threshold, and the thirdthreshold, wherein the second interval is less when the amount of chargeleft in the battery is above the first threshold than when the amount ofcharge left in the battery is above the second threshold and below thefirst threshold, and the second interval is less when the amount ofcharge left in the battery is above the third threshold and below thesecond threshold.

In a sixth aspect, an audio/video (AV) recording and communicationdevice provided, comprising: a camera; a battery; and a processorconfigured to execute instructions whereby: the processor transitionsfrom a low-power state to an active state, and then sends a first datarequest to the network device to determine whether a user request toaccess the camera has been received by the network device; the processorthen receives, from the network device, a first command instructing theprocessor to increase a length of a first interval to a second intervalupon determining that an amount of charge left in the battery is below afirst threshold value and above a second threshold value less than thefirst threshold value; upon determining that no user request to accessthe camera has been received by the network device, the processor thentransitions from the active state to the low-power state, and then theprocessor waits for the second interval, and then the processor againtransitions from the low-power state to the active state, and then sendsa second data request to the network device to determine whether a userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device;the processor then receives a second command instructing the processorto increase a length of the second interval to a third interval upondetermining that the amount of charge left in the battery is below thesecond threshold value; and upon determining that no user request toaccess the camera has been received by the network device, the processorthen transitions from the active state to the low-power state, and thenthe processor waits for the third interval, and then the processor againtransitions from the low-power state to the active state, and then sendsa third data request to the network device to determine whether a userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device.

In an embodiment of the sixth aspect, the first data request includes afirst battery charge level, the second data request includes a secondbattery charge level, and the third data request includes a thirdbattery charge level.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the network device is atleast one of a server, an application programming interface (API), and astorage device.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the A/V recording andcommunication device is one of a doorbell and a security camera.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby: upon determining that a userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device,the processor then causes the camera to capture video data from a fieldof view of the camera.

In another embodiment of the sixth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby: in response to the cameracapturing the video data, the processor sends the video data to thenetwork device.

In a seventh aspect, a method for an audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication device comprising a processor, a camera, and a battery isprovided, the method comprising: after a first interval, transitioningthe processor from a low-power state to an active state; transmitting,to a network device, a data request and a battery charge level, the datarequest to determine whether a user request to access the camera hasbeen received by the network device; receiving, from the network device,a response to the data request indicating whether a user request toaccess the camera has been received, and a command to increase a lengthof the first interval to a second interval, the increase in the lengthof the first interval being a first increment when the battery chargelevel is below a first threshold and above a second threshold, and theincrease in the length of the interval being a second increment greaterthan the first increment when the battery charge level is below thesecond threshold; upon determining that the response to the data requestis indicative of no user request to access the camera having beenreceived by the network device, transitioning the processor from theactive state to the low-power state; after the second interval,transitioning the processor from the low-power state to the activestate; and transmitting, to the network device, another data request todetermine whether a user request to access the camera has been receivedby the network device.

In an embodiment of the seventh aspect, the network device is at leastone of a server, an application programming interface (API), and astorage device.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the A/V recording andcommunication device is one of a doorbell and a security camera.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the response is a firstresponse, the user request is a second user request, and the methodfurther comprises: receiving, from the network device, a second responseto the another data request indicating whether a second user request toaccess the camera has been received; upon determining that the secondresponse to the another data request is indicative of a second userrequest to access the camera, recording, by the camera, video data in afield of view of the camera.

In another embodiment of the seventh aspect, the method furthercomprises: in response to recording the video data, transmitting, to thenetwork device, the video data.

In an eighth aspect, an audio/video (A/V) recording and communicationdevice is provided, the A/V recording and communication devicecomprising: a camera; a battery; a communication module; and a processorconfigured to execute instructions whereby: the processor transitionsfrom a low-power state to an active state, and then sends a data requestto a network device, using the communication module, to determinewhether a user request to access the camera has been received by thenetwork device; the processor receives, using the communication module,a negative response from the network device and determines that no userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network deviceusing the negative response, and then the processor reverts from theactive state to the low-power state, and then the processor waits for aninterval, and then the processor transitions from the low-power state tothe active state, and then sends, using the communication module,another data request to the network device to determine whether a userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network device;and the processor receives, using the communication module, a commandfrom the network device instructing the processor to increase theinterval, wherein the increase in the interval is greater when an amountof charge left in the battery is below a second threshold value thanwhen the amount of charge left in the battery is below a first thresholdvalue but above the second threshold value.

In an embodiment of the eighth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby the processor receives, usingthe communication module, a positive response from the network deviceand determines that a user request to access the camera has beenreceived by the network device using the positive response, and then thecamera captures video images from a field of view of the camera.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby the processor transmits,using the communication module, the video images to the network device.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the data request includes afirst battery charge level indicative of the amount of charge left inthe battery and the another data request includes a second batterycharge level indicative of the amount of charge left in the battery.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the camera is in a dormantstate until the processor determines that the user request to access thecamera has been received by the network device, and the camera powers onfrom the dormant state prior to capturing the video images.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the network device is atleast one of a server, an application programming interface (API), and astorage device.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the A/V recording andcommunication device is one of a doorbell and a security camera.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby the processor receives, usingthe communication module, a command from the network device instructingthe processor to disable sending data requests to the network device todetermine whether a user request to access the camera has been receivedby the network device in response to the amount of charge left in thebattery being below a third threshold value less than the secondthreshold value; and the processor then stops sending data requests tothe network device to determine whether a user request to access thecamera has been received by the network device.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby the processor receives, usingthe communication module, a command from the network device instructingthe processor to again send data requests to the network device at asecond interval.

In another embodiment of the eighth aspect, the second interval is lesswhen the amount of charge left in the battery is above the firstthreshold than when the amount of charge left in the battery is abovethe second threshold and below the first threshold, and the secondinterval is less when the amount of charge left in the battery is abovethe second threshold and below the first threshold than when the amountof charge left in the battery is above the third threshold and below thesecond threshold.

In a ninth aspect, an audio/video (A/V) recording and communicationdevice is provided, the A/V recording and communication devicecomprising: a camera; a battery; a communication module; and a processorconfigured to execute instructions whereby: the processor transitionsfrom a low-power state to an active state, and then sends a data requestto a network device to determine whether a user request to access thecamera has been received by the network device; the processor receives,using the communication module, a negative response from the networkdevice and determines that no user request to access the camera has beenreceived by the network device using the negative response; theprocessor reverts from the active state to the low-power state, and thenthe processor waits for a preset interval, and then the processor againtransitions from the low-power state to the active state, and thensends, using the communication module, another data request to thenetwork device to determine whether a user request to access the camerahas been received by the network device; the processor receives, usingthe communication module, a command from the network device instructingthe processor to disable sending data requests to the network deviceuntil a battery charge level indicative of the amount of charge left inthe battery is above a threshold value; and the processor stops sendingdata requests to the network device to determine whether a user requestto access the camera has been received by the network device and theprocessor reverts from the active state to the low-power state.

In an embodiment of the ninth aspect, the A/V recording andcommunication device is connected to a solar panel that provides powerto recharge the battery.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby the processor waits for thebattery to recharge, and then the processor again transitions from thelow-power state to the active state, and then sends a subsequent datarequest to the network device to determine whether a user request toaccess the camera has been received by the network device.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the data request includes afirst battery charge level indicative of the amount of charge left inthe battery and the another data request includes a second batterycharge level indicative of the amount of charge left in the battery.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby the processor receives, usingthe communication module, a positive response from the network deviceand determines that a user request to access the camera has beenreceived by the network device using the positive response, and then thecamera captures video images from a field of view of the camera.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby the processor transmits,using the communication module, the video images to the network device.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the camera is in a dormantstate until the processor determines that the user request to access thecamera has been received by the network device, and the camera powers onfrom the dormant state prior to capturing the video images.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the processor is furtherconfigured to execute instructions whereby the processor receives, usingthe communication module, a command from the network device instructingthe processor to again send data requests to the network device at thepreset interval.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the network device is atleast one of a server, an application programming interface (API), and astorage device.

In another embodiment of the ninth aspect, the A/V recording andcommunication device is one of a doorbell and a security camera.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various embodiments of the present audio/video (A/V) recording andcommunication devices now will be discussed in detail with an emphasison highlighting the advantageous features. These embodiments depict thenovel and non-obvious A/V recording and communication devices shown inthe accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only.These drawings include the following figures, in which like numeralsindicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a system for streamingand storing A/V content captured by an A/V recording and communicationdevice according to the present embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a front view of an A/V recording and communication doorbellaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the A/V recording and communication doorbell ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell of FIG. 2 attached to a mounting bracket according to an aspectof the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is cross-sectional right side view of the A/V recording andcommunication doorbell of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell and the mounting bracket of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are top and bottom views, respectively, of the A/Vrecording and communication doorbell and the mounting bracket of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are top and front views, respectively, of a passiveinfrared sensor holder of the A/V recording and communication doorbellof FIG. 2;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are top and front views, respectively, of a passiveinfrared sensor holder assembly of the A/V recording and communicationdoorbell of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the passive infrared sensor assembly of FIG.10A and a field of view thereof according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 12 a functional block diagram of the components of the A/Vrecording and communication doorbell of FIG. 2;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process for an A/V recording andcommunication doorbell according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another process for an A/V recordingand communication doorbell according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating another process for an A/V recordingand communication doorbell according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of a solar panel configured toprovide power to an A/V recording and communication doorbell accordingto an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating another process for an A/V recordingand communication device according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating another process for an A/V recordingand communication device according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 19 is a functional block diagram of a client device on which thepresent embodiments may be implemented according to various aspects ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram of a general-purpose computingsystem on which the present embodiments may be implemented according tovarious aspects of present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description describes the present embodimentswith reference to the drawings. In the drawings, reference numbers labelelements of the present embodiments. These reference numbers arereproduced below in connection with the discussion of the correspondingdrawing features.

The embodiments of the A/V recording and communication devices aredescribed below with reference to the figures. These figures, and theirwritten descriptions, indicate that certain components of the apparatusare formed integrally, and certain other components are formed asseparate pieces. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatcomponents shown and described herein as being formed integrally may inalternative embodiments be formed as separate pieces. Those of ordinaryskill in the art will further appreciate that components shown anddescribed herein as being formed as separate pieces may in alternativeembodiments be formed integrally. Further, as used herein the termintegral describes a single unitary piece.

With reference to FIG. 1, the present embodiments include an audio/video(A/V) device 100. While the present disclosure provides numerousexamples of methods and systems including A/V recording andcommunication doorbells, the present embodiments are equally applicablefor A/V recording and communication devices other than doorbells. Forexample, the present embodiments may include one or more A/V recordingand communication security cameras instead of, or in addition to, one ormore A/V recording and communication doorbells. An example A/V recordingand communication security camera may include substantially all of thestructure and/or functionality of the doorbells described herein, butwithout the front button and related components.

The A/V recording and communication device 100 may be located near theentrance to a structure (not shown), such as a dwelling, a business, astorage facility, etc. The A/V recording and communication device 100includes a camera 102, a microphone 104, and a speaker 106. The camera102 may comprise, for example, a high definition (HD) video camera, suchas one capable of capturing video images at an image display resolutionof 1080p or better. While not shown, the A/V recording and communicationdevice 100 may also include other hardware and/or components, such as ahousing, a communication module (which may facilitate wired and/orwireless communication with other devices), one or more motion sensors(and/or other types of sensors), a button, etc. The A/V recording andcommunication device 100 may further include similar componentry and/orfunctionality as the wireless communication doorbells described in USPatent Application Publication Nos. 2015/0022620 (application Ser. No.14/499,828) and 2015/0022618 (application Ser. No. 14/334,922), both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties as iffully set forth.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the A/V recording and communicationdevice 100 communicates with a user's network 110, which may be forexample a wired and/or wireless network. If the user's network 110 iswireless, or includes a wireless component, the network 110 may be aWi-Fi network compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard and/or otherwireless communication standard(s). The user's network 110 is connectedto another network 112, which may comprise, for example, the Internetand/or a public switched telephone network (PSTN). As described below,the A/V recording and communication device 100 may communicate with theuser's client device 114 via the user's network 110 and the network 112(Internet/PSTN). The user's client device 114 may comprise, for example,a mobile telephone (may also be referred to as a cellular telephone),such as a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or anothercommunication device. The user's client device 114 comprises a display(not shown) and related components capable of displaying streamingand/or recorded video images. The user's client device 114 may alsocomprise a speaker and related components capable of broadcastingstreaming and/or recorded audio, and may also comprise a microphone. TheA/V recording and communication device 100 may also communicate with oneor more remote storage device(s) 116 (may be referred to interchangeablyas “cloud storage device(s)”), one or more servers 118, and/or a backendAPI (application programming interface) 120 via the user's network 110and the network 112 (Internet/PSTN). While FIG. 1 illustrates thestorage device 116, the server 118, and the backend API 120 ascomponents separate from the network 112, it is to be understood thatthe storage device 116, the server 118, and/or the backend API 120 maybe considered to be components of the network 112.

The network 112 may be any wireless network or any wired network, or acombination thereof, configured to operatively couple the abovementioned modules, devices, and systems as shown in FIG. 1. For example,the network 112 may include one or more of the following: a PSTN (publicswitched telephone network), the Internet, a local intranet, a PAN(Personal Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide AreaNetwork), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), a virtual private network(VPN), a storage area network (SAN), a frame relay connection, anAdvanced Intelligent Network (AIN) connection, a synchronous opticalnetwork (SONET) connection, a digital T1, T3, E1 or E3 line, a DigitalData Service (DDS) connection, a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)connection, an Ethernet connection, an ISDN (Integrated Services DigitalNetwork) line, a dial-up port such as a V.90, V.34, or V.34bis analogmodem connection, a cable modem, an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)connection, or an FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) or CDDI(Copper Distributed Data Interface) connection. Furthermore,communications may also include links to any of a variety of wirelessnetworks, including WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), GPRS (GeneralPacket Radio Service), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication),CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), TDMA (Time Division MultipleAccess), FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access), and/or OFDMA(Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) cellular phone networks,GPS, CDPD (cellular digital packet data), RIM (Research in Motion,Limited) duplex paging network, Bluetooth radio, or an IEEE 802.11-basedradio frequency network. The network can further include or interfacewith any one or more of the following: RS-232 serial connection,IEEE-1394 (Firewire) connection, Fibre Channel connection, IrDA(infrared) port, SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) connection, USB(Universal Serial Bus) connection, or other wired or wireless, digitalor analog, interface or connection, mesh or^(Digi)® networking.

According to one or more aspects of the present embodiments, when aperson (may be referred to interchangeably as “visitor”) arrives at theA/V recording and communication device 100, the A/V recording andcommunication device 100 detects the visitor's presence and beginscapturing video images within a field of view of the camera 102. The A/Vcommunication device 100 may also capture audio through the microphone104. The A/V recording and communication device 100 may detect thevisitor's presence by detecting motion using the camera 102 and/or amotion sensor, and/or by detecting that the visitor has pressed a frontbutton of the A/V recording and communication device 100 (if the A/Vrecording and communication device 100 is a doorbell).

In response to the detection of the visitor, the A/V recording andcommunication device 100 sends an alert to the user's client device 114(FIG. 1) via the user's network 110 and the network 112. The A/Vrecording and communication device 100 also sends streaming video, andmay also send streaming audio, to the user's client device 114. If theuser answers the alert, two-way audio communication may then occurbetween the visitor and the user through the A/V recording andcommunication device 100 and the user's client device 114. The user mayview the visitor throughout the duration of the call, but the visitorcannot see the user (unless the A/V recording and communication device100 includes a display, which it may in some embodiments).

The video images captured by the camera 102 of the A/V recording andcommunication device 100 (and the audio captured by the microphone 104)may be uploaded to the cloud and recorded on the remote storage device116 (FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the video and/or audio may berecorded on the remote storage device 116 even if the user chooses toignore the alert sent to his or her client device 114.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the system may further comprise abackend API 120 including one or more components. A backend API(application programming interface) may comprise, for example, a server(e.g. a real server, or a virtual machine, or a machine running in acloud infrastructure as a service), or multiple servers networkedtogether, exposing at least one API to client(s) accessing it. Theseservers may include components such as application servers (e.g.software servers), depending upon what other components are included,such as a caching layer, or database layers, or other components. Abackend API may, for example, comprise many such applications, each ofwhich communicate with one another using their public APIs. In someembodiments, the API backend may hold the bulk of the user data andoffer the user management capabilities, leaving the clients to have verylimited state.

The backend API 120 illustrated FIG. 1 may include one or more APIs. AnAPI is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software andapplications. An API expresses a software component in terms of itsoperations, inputs, outputs, and underlying types, definingfunctionalities that are independent of their respectiveimplementations, which allows definitions and implementations to varywithout compromising the interface. Advantageously, an API may provide aprogrammer with access to an application's functionality without theprogrammer needing to modify the application itself, or even understandhow the application works. An API may be for a web-based system, anoperating system, or a database system, and it provides facilities todevelop applications for that system using a given programming language.In addition to accessing databases or computer hardware like hard diskdrives or video cards, an API can ease the work of programming GUIcomponents. For example, an API can facilitate integration of newfeatures into existing applications (a so-called “plug-in API”). An APIcan also assist otherwise distinct applications with sharing data, whichcan help to integrate and enhance the functionalities of theapplications.

The backend API 120 illustrated in FIG. 1 may further include one ormore services (also referred to as network services). A network serviceis an application that provides data storage, manipulation,presentation, communication, and/or other capability. Network servicesare often implemented using a client-server architecture based onapplication-layer network protocols. Each service may be provided by aserver component running on one or more computers (such as a dedicatedserver computer offering multiple services) and accessed via a networkby client components running on other devices. However, the client andserver components can both be run on the same machine. Clients andservers may have a user interface, and sometimes other hardwareassociated with them.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate an audio/video (A/V) communication doorbell 130according to an aspect of present embodiments. FIG. 2 is a front view,FIG. 3 is a rear view, and FIG. 4 is a left side view of the doorbell130 coupled with a mounting bracket 137. The doorbell 130 includes afaceplate 135 mounted to a back plate 139 (FIG. 3). With reference toFIG. 4, the faceplate 135 has a substantially flat profile. Thefaceplate 135 may comprise any suitable material, including, withoutlimitation, metals, such as brushed aluminum or stainless steel, metalalloys, or plastics. The faceplate 135 protects the internal contents ofthe doorbell 130 and serves as an exterior front surface of the doorbell130.

With reference to FIG. 2, the faceplate 135 includes a button 133 and alight pipe 136. The button 133 and the light pipe 136 may have variousprofiles that may or may not match the profile of the faceplate 135. Thelight pipe 136 may comprise any suitable material, including, withoutlimitation, transparent plastic, that is capable of allowing lightproduced within the doorbell 130 to pass through. The light may beproduced by one or more light-emitting components, such aslight-emitting diodes (LED's), contained within the doorbell 130, asfurther described below. The button 133 may make contact with a buttonactuator (not shown) located within the doorbell 130 when the button 133is pressed by a visitor. When pressed, the button 133 may trigger one ormore functions of the doorbell 130, as further described below.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the doorbell 130 further includes anenclosure 131 that engages the faceplate 135. In the illustratedembodiment, the enclosure 131 abuts an upper edge 135T (FIG. 2) of thefaceplate 135, but in alternative embodiments one or more gaps betweenthe enclosure 131 and the faceplate 135 may facilitate the passage ofsound and/or light through the doorbell 130. The enclosure 131 maycomprise any suitable material, but in some embodiments the material ofthe enclosure 131 preferably permits infrared light to pass through frominside the doorbell 130 to the environment and vice versa. The doorbell130 further includes a lens 132. In some embodiments, the lens maycomprise a Fresnel lens, which may be patterned to deflect incominglight into one or more infrared sensors located within the doorbell 130.The doorbell 130 further includes a camera 134, which captures videodata when activated, as described below.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the doorbell 130, according to an aspect of thepresent embodiments. As illustrated, the enclosure 131 may extend fromthe front of the doorbell 130 around to the back thereof and may fitsnugly around a lip of the back plate 139. The back plate 139 maycomprise any suitable material, including, without limitation, metals,such as brushed aluminum or stainless steel, metal alloys, or plastics.The back plate 139 protects the internal contents of the doorbell 130and serves as an exterior rear surface of the doorbell 130. Thefaceplate 135 may extend from the front of the doorbell 130 and at leastpartially wrap around the back plate 139, thereby allowing a coupledconnection between the faceplate 135 and the back plate 139. The backplate 139 may have indentations in its structure to facilitate thecoupling.

With further reference to FIG. 3, spring contacts 140 may provide powerto the doorbell 130 when mated with other conductive contacts connectedto a power source. The spring contacts 140 may comprise any suitableconductive material, including, without limitation, copper, and may becapable of deflecting when contacted by an inward force, for example theinsertion of a mating element. The doorbell 130 further comprises aconnector 160, such as a micro-USB or other connector, whereby powerand/or data may be supplied to and from the components within thedoorbell 130. A reset button 159 may be located on the back plate 139,and may make contact with a button actuator (not shown) located withinthe doorbell 130 when the reset button 159 is pressed. When the resetbutton 159 is pressed, it may trigger one or more functions, asdescribed below.

FIG. 4 is a left side profile view of the doorbell 130 coupled to themounting bracket 137, according to an aspect of the present embodiments.The mounting bracket 137 facilitates mounting the doorbell 130 to asurface, such as the exterior of a building, such as a home or office.As illustrated in FIG. 4, the faceplate 135 may extend from the bottomof the doorbell 130 up to just below the camera 134, and connect to theback plate 139 as described above. The lens 132 may extend and curlpartially around the side of the doorbell 130. The enclosure 131 mayextend and curl around the side and top of the doorbell 130, and may becoupled to the back plate 139 as described above. The camera 134 mayprotrude slightly through the enclosure 131, thereby giving it a widerfield of view. The mounting bracket 137 may couple with the back plate139 such that they contact each other at various points in a commonplane of contact, thereby creating an assembly including the doorbell130 and the mounting bracket 137. The couplings described in thisparagraph, and elsewhere, may be secured by, for example and withoutlimitation, screws, interference fittings, adhesives, or otherfasteners. Interference fittings may refer to a type of connection wherea material relies on pressure and/or gravity coupled with the material'sphysical strength to support a connection to a different element.

FIG. 5 is a right side cross-sectional view of the doorbell 130 withoutthe mounting bracket 137. In the illustrated embodiment, the lens 132 issubstantially coplanar with the front surface 131F of the enclosure 131.In alternative embodiments, the lens 132 may be recessed within theenclosure 131 or may protrude outward from the enclosure 131. The camera134 is coupled to a camera printed circuit board (PCB) 147, and a lens134 a of the camera 134 protrudes through an opening in the enclosure131. The camera lens 134 a may be a lens capable of focusing light intothe camera 134 so that clear images may be taken.

The camera PCB 147 may be secured within the doorbell with any suitablefasteners, such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.The camera PCB 147 comprises various components that enable thefunctionality of the camera 134 of the doorbell 130, as described below.Infrared light-emitting components, such as infrared LED's 168, arecoupled to the camera PCB 147 and may be triggered to activate when alight sensor detects a low level of ambient light. When activated, theinfrared LED's 168 may emit infrared light through the enclosure 131and/or the camera 134 out into the ambient environment. The camera 134,which may be configured to detect infrared light, may then capture thelight emitted by the infrared LED's 168 as it reflects off objectswithin the camera's 134 field of view, so that the doorbell 130 canclearly capture images at night (may be referred to as “night vision”).

With continued reference to FIG. 5, the doorbell 130 further comprises afront PCB 146, which in the illustrated embodiment resides in a lowerportion of the doorbell 130 adjacent a battery 166. The front PCB 146may be secured within the doorbell 130 with any suitable fasteners, suchas screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc. The front PCB146 comprises various components that enable the functionality of theaudio and light components, as further described below. The battery 166may provide power to the doorbell 130 components while receiving powerfrom the spring contacts 140, thereby engaging in a trickle-chargemethod of power consumption and supply. Alternatively, the doorbell 130may draw power directly from the spring contacts 140 while relying onthe battery 166 only when the spring contacts 140 are not providing thepower necessary for all functions.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, the doorbell 130 further comprises apower PCB 148, which in the illustrated embodiment resides behind thecamera PCB 147. The power PCB 148 may be secured within the doorbell 130with any suitable fasteners, such as screws, or interferenceconnections, adhesives, etc. The power PCB 148 comprises variouscomponents that enable the functionality of the power and device-controlcomponents, as further described below.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, the doorbell 130 further comprises acommunication module 164 coupled to the power PCB 148. The communicationmodule 164 facilitates communication with client devices in one or moreremote locations, as further described below. The connector 160 mayprotrude outward from the power PCB 148 and extend through a hole in theback plate 139. The doorbell 130 further comprises passive infrared(PIR) sensors 144, which are secured on or within a PIR sensor holder143, and the assembly resides behind the lens 132. The PIR sensor holder143 may be secured to the doorbell 130 with any suitable fasteners, suchas screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc. The PIR sensors144 may be any type of sensor capable of detecting and communicating thepresence of a heat source within their field of view. Further,alternative embodiments may comprise one or more motion sensors eitherin place of or in addition to the PIR sensors 144. The motion sensorsmay be configured to detect motion using any methodology, such as amethodology that does not rely on detecting the presence of a heatsource within a field of view.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the doorbell 130 and the mounting bracket137 according to an aspect of the present embodiments. The mountingbracket 137 is configured to be mounted to a mounting surface (notshown) of a structure, such as a home or an office. FIG. 6 shows thefront side 137F of the mounting bracket 137. The mounting bracket 137 isconfigured to be mounted to the mounting surface such that the back side137B thereof faces the mounting surface. In certain embodiments themounting bracket 137 may be mounted to surfaces of various composition,including, without limitation, wood, concrete, stucco, brick, vinylsiding, aluminum siding, etc., with any suitable fasteners, such asscrews, or interference connections, adhesives, etc. The doorbell 130may be coupled to the mounting bracket 137 with any suitable fasteners,such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 6, the illustrated embodiment of themounting bracket 137 includes the terminal screws 138. The terminalscrews 138 are configured to receive electrical wires adjacent themounting surface of the structure upon which the mounting bracket 137 ismounted, so that the doorbell 130 may receive electrical power from thestructure's electrical system. The terminal screws 138 are electricallyconnected to electrical contacts 177 of the mounting bracket. If poweris supplied to the terminal screws 138, then the electrical contacts 177also receive power through the terminal screws 138. The electricalcontacts 177 may comprise any suitable conductive material, including,without limitation, copper, and may protrude slightly from the face ofthe mounting bracket 137 so that they may mate with the spring contacts140 located on the back plate 139.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 (which is a rear view of the mountingbracket 137), the mounting bracket 137 further comprises a bracket PCB149. With reference to FIG. 7, the bracket PCB 149 is situated outsidethe doorbell 130, and is therefore configured for various sensors thatmeasure ambient conditions, such as an accelerometer 150, a barometer151, a humidity sensor 152, and a temperature sensor 153. The functionsof these components are discussed in more detail below. The bracket PCB149 may be secured to the mounting bracket 137 with any suitablefasteners, such as screws, or interference connections, adhesives, etc.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are top and bottom views, respectively, of the doorbell130. As described above, the enclosure 131 may extend from the frontface 131F of the doorbell 130 to the back, where it contacts and snuglysurrounds the back plate 139. The camera 134 may protrude slightlybeyond the front face 131F of the enclosure 131, thereby giving thecamera 134 a wider field of view. The mounting bracket 137 may include asubstantially flat rear surface 137R, such that the doorbell 130 and themounting bracket 137 assembly may sit flush against the surface to whichthey are mounted. With reference to FIG. 8B, the lower end of theenclosure 131 may include security screw apertures 141 configured toreceive screws or other fasteners.

FIG. 9A is a top view of the PIR sensor holder 143. The PIR sensorholder 143 may comprise any suitable material, including, withoutlimitation, metals, metal alloys, or plastics. The PIR sensor holder 143is configured to mount the PIR sensors 144 behind the lens 132 such thatthe PIR sensors 144 face out through the lens 132 at varying angles,thereby creating a wide field of view for the PIR sensors 144, anddividing the field of view into zones, as further described below. Withfurther reference to FIG. 9A, the PIR sensor holder 143 includes one ormore faces 178 within or on which the PIR sensors 144 may be mounted. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the PIR sensor holder 143 includes threefaces 178, with each of two outer faces 178 angled at 55° with respectto a center one of the faces 178. In alternative embodiments, the angleformed by adjacent ones of the faces 178 may be increased or decreasedas desired to alter the field of view of the PIR sensors 144.

FIG. 9B is a front view of the PIR sensor holder 143. In the illustratedembodiment, each of the faces 178 includes a through hole 180 in whichthe PIR sensors 144 may be mounted. First and second brackets 182,spaced from one another, extend transversely across the PIR sensorholder 143. Each of the brackets 182 includes notches 184 at either end.The brackets 182 may be used to secure the PIR sensor holder 143 withinthe doorbell 130. In alternative embodiments, the through holes 180 inthe faces 178 may be omitted. For example, the PIR sensors 144 may bemounted directly to the faces 178 without the through holes 180.Generally, the faces 178 may be comprise any structure configured tolocate and secure the PIR sensors 144 in place.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are top and front views, respectively, of a PIR sensorassembly 179, including the PIR sensor holder 143, the lens 132, and aflexible power circuit 145. The PIR sensor holder 143 may be secured toa rear face 132R of the lens 132, as shown, with the brackets 182abutting the rear face 132R of the lens 132. The flexible power circuit145, which may be any material or component capable of delivering powerand/or data to and from the PIR sensors 144, is secured to a rear face143R of the PIR sensor holder 143, and may be contoured to match theangular shape of the PIR sensor holder 143. The flexible power circuit145 may connect to, draw power from, and/or transmit data to and/orfrom, the power PCB 148 (FIG. 5).

FIG. 11 is a top view of the PIR sensor assembly 179 illustrating thefields of view of the PIR sensors 144. Each PIR sensor 144 includes afield of view, referred to as a “zone,” that traces an angle extendingoutward from the respective PIR sensor 144. Zone 1 is the area that isvisible only to Passive Infrared Sensor 144-1. Zone 2 is the area thatis visible only to the PIR sensors 144-1 and 144-2. Zone 3 is the areathat is visible only to Passive Infrared Sensor 144-2. Zone 4 is thearea that is visible only to the PIR sensors 144-2 and 144-3. Zone 5 isthe area that is visible only to Passive Infrared Sensor 144-3. Thedoorbell 130 may be capable of determining the direction that an objectis moving based upon which zones are triggered in a time sequence. Inthe illustrated embodiment, each zone extends across an angle of 110°.In alternative embodiments, each zone may extend across a differentangle, such as one greater than or less than 110°.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of the components within or incommunication with the doorbell 130, according to an aspect of thepresent embodiments. As described above, the bracket PCB 149 maycomprise an accelerometer 150, a barometer 151, a humidity sensor 152,and a temperature sensor 153. The accelerometer 150 may be one or moresensors capable of sensing motion and/or acceleration. The barometer 151may be one or more sensors capable of determining the atmosphericpressure of the surrounding environment in which the bracket PCB 149 maybe located. The humidity sensor 152 may be one or more sensors capableof determining the amount of moisture present in the atmosphericenvironment in which the bracket PCB 149 may be located. The temperaturesensor 153 may be one or more sensors capable of determining thetemperature of the ambient environment in which the bracket PCB 149 maybe located. As described above, the bracket PCB 149 may be locatedoutside the housing of the doorbell 130 so as to reduce interferencefrom heat, pressure, moisture, and/or other stimuli generated by theinternal components of the doorbell 130.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the bracket PCB 149 may furthercomprise terminal screw inserts 154, which may be configured to receivethe terminal screws 138 and transmit power to the electrical contacts177 on the mounting bracket 137 (FIG. 6). The bracket PCB 149 may beelectrically and/or mechanically coupled to the power PCB 148 throughthe terminal screws 138, the terminal screw inserts 154, the springcontacts 140, and the electrical contacts 177. The terminal screws 138may receive electrical wires located at the surface to which thedoorbell 130 is mounted, such as the wall of a building, so that thedoorbell can receive electrical power from the building's electricalsystem. Upon the terminal screws 138 being secured within the terminalscrew inserts 154, power may be transferred to the bracket PCB 149, andto all of the components associated therewith, including the electricalcontacts 177. The electrical contacts 177 may transfer electrical powerto the power PCB 148 by mating with the spring contacts 140.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the front PCB 146 may comprise alight sensor 155, one or more light-emitting components, such as LED's156, one or more speakers 157, and a microphone 158. The light sensor155 may be one or more sensors capable of detecting the level of ambientlight of the surrounding environment in which the doorbell 130 may belocated. LED's 156 may be one or more light-emitting diodes capable ofproducing visible light when supplied with power. The speakers 157 maybe any electromechanical device capable of producing sound in responseto an electrical signal input. The microphone 158 may be anacoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor capable of converting soundwaves into an electrical signal. When activated, the LED's 156 mayilluminate the light pipe 136 (FIG. 2). The front PCB 146 and allcomponents thereof may be electrically coupled to the power PCB 148,thereby allowing data and/or power to be transferred to and from thepower PCB 148 and the front PCB 146.

The speakers 157 and the microphone 158 may be coupled to the cameraprocessor 170 through an audio CODEC 161. For example, the transfer ofdigital audio from the user's client device 114 and the speakers 157 andthe microphone 158 may be compressed and decompressed using the audioCODEC 161, coupled to the camera processor 170. Once compressed by audioCODEC 161, digital audio data may be sent through the communicationmodule 164 to the network 112, routed by one or more servers 118, anddelivered to the user's client device 114. When the user speaks, afterbeing transferred through the network 112, digital audio data isdecompressed by audio CODEC 161 and emitted to the visitor via thespeakers 157.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the power PCB 148 may comprise apower management module 162, a microcontroller 163, the communicationmodule 164, and power PCB non-volatile memory 165. In certainembodiments, the power management module 162 may comprise an integratedcircuit capable of arbitrating between multiple voltage rails, therebyselecting the source of power for the doorbell 130. The battery 166, thespring contacts 140, and/or the connector 160 may each provide power tothe power management module 162. The power management module 162 mayhave separate power rails dedicated to the battery 166, the springcontacts 140, and the connector 160. In one aspect of the presentdisclosure, the power management module 162 may continuously draw powerfrom the battery 166 to power the doorbell 130, while at the same timerouting power from the spring contacts 140 and/or the connector 160 tothe battery 166, thereby allowing the battery 166 to maintain asubstantially constant level of charge. Alternatively, the powermanagement module 162 may continuously draw power from the springcontacts 140 and/or the connector 160 to power the doorbell 130, whileonly drawing from the battery 166 when the power from the springcontacts 140 and/or the connector 160 is low or insufficient. The powermanagement module 162 may also serve as a conduit for data between theconnector 160 and the microcontroller 163.

With further reference to FIG. 12, in certain embodiments themicrocontroller 163 may comprise an integrated circuit including aprocessor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Themicrocontroller 163 may receive input signals, such as data and/orpower, from the PIR sensors 144, the bracket PCB 149, the powermanagement module 162, the light sensor 155, the microphone 158, and/orthe communication module 164, and may perform various functions asfurther described below. When the microcontroller 163 is triggered bythe PIR sensors 144, the microcontroller 163 may be triggered to performone or more functions, such as those described below with reference toFIG. 14. When the light sensor 155 detects a low level of ambient light,the light sensor 155 may trigger the microcontroller 163 to enable“night vision,” as further described below. The microcontroller 163 mayalso act as a conduit for data communicated between various componentsand the communication module 164.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the communication module 164 maycomprise an integrated circuit including a processor core, memory, andprogrammable input/output peripherals. The communication module 164 mayalso be configured to transmit data wirelessly to a remote networkdevice, and may include one or more transceivers (not shown). Thewireless communication may comprise one or more wireless networks, suchas, without limitation, Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, and/or satellitenetworks. The communication module 164 may receive inputs, such as powerand/or data, from the camera PCB 147, the microcontroller 163, thebutton 133, the reset button 159, and/or the power PCB non-volatilememory 165. When the button 133 is pressed, the communication module 164may be triggered to perform one or more functions, such as thosedescribed below with reference to FIG. 13. When the reset button 159 ispressed, the communication module 164 may be triggered to erase any datastored at the power PCB non-volatile memory 165 and/or at the camera PCBmemory 169. The communication module 164 may also act as a conduit fordata communicated between various components and the microcontroller163. The power PCB non-volatile memory 165 may comprise flash memoryconfigured to store and/or transmit data. For example, in certainembodiments the power PCB non-volatile memory 165 may comprise serialperipheral interface (SPI) flash memory.

With further reference to FIG. 12, the camera PCB 147 may comprisecomponents that facilitate the operation of the camera 134. For example,an imager 171 may comprise a video recording sensor and/or a camerachip. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the imager 171 maycomprise a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) array, and maybe capable of recording high definition (720p or better) video files. Acamera processor 170 may comprise an encoding and compression chip. Insome embodiments, the camera processor 170 may comprise a bridgeprocessor. The camera processor 170 may process video recorded by theimager 171 and audio recorded by the microphone 158, and may transformthis data into a form suitable for wireless transfer by thecommunication module 164 to a network. The camera PCB memory 169 maycomprise volatile memory that may be used when data is being buffered orencoded by the camera processor 170. For example, in certain embodimentsthe camera PCB memory 169 may comprise synchronous dynamic random accessmemory (SD RAM). IR LED's 168 may comprise light-emitting diodes capableof radiating infrared light. IR cut filter 167 may comprise a systemthat, when triggered, configures the imager 171 to see primarilyinfrared light as opposed to visible light. When the light sensor 155detects a low level of ambient light (which may comprise a level thatimpedes the performance of the imager 171 in the visible spectrum), theIR LED's 168 may shine infrared light through the doorbell 130 enclosureout to the environment, and the IR cut filter 167 may enable the imager171 to see this infrared light as it is reflected or refracted off ofobjects within the field of view of the doorbell. This process mayprovide the doorbell 130 with the “night vision” function mentionedabove.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. At block B200, avisitor presses the button 133 on the doorbell 130. At block B202, thecommunication module 164 sends a request to a network device. Once thenetwork device receives the request, at block B204 the network devicemay connect the doorbell 130 to the user's client device 114 through theuser's network 110 and the network 112. In block B206, the doorbell 130may record available audio and/or video data using the camera 134, themicrophone 158, and/or any other sensor available. At block B208, theaudio and/or video data is transmitted to the user's client device 114.At block B210, the user may receive a notification on his or her clientdevice 114 prompting him or her to either accept or deny. If the userdenies the notification, then the process advances to block B214, wherethe audio and/or video data is recorded and stored at a cloud server.The session then ends at block B216 and the connection between thedoorbell 130 and the user's client device 114 is terminated. If,however, the user elects to accept the notification, then at block B212the user communicates with the visitor through the user's client device114 while being provided audio and/or video data captured by the camera134, the microphone 158, and/or other sensors. At the end of the call,the user may terminate the connection between the user's client device114 and the doorbell 130 and the session ends at block B216. In someembodiments, the audio and/or video data may be recorded and stored at acloud server (block B214) even if the user accepts the notification andcommunicates with the visitor through the user's client device 114.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. At block B300, anobject may move into the field of view of one or more of the PIR sensors144. At block B302, the PIR sensors 144 may trigger the microcontroller163, which may then trigger the communication module 164 to send arequest to a network device. At block B304, the network device mayconnect the doorbell 130 to the user's client device 114 through theuser's network 110 and the network 112. At block B306, the doorbell 130may record available audio and/or video data using the camera 134, themicrophone 158, and/or any other available sensor, and stream the datato the user's client device 114. At block B308, the user may receive anotification prompting the user to either accept or deny thenotification. If the notification is accepted, then at block B310 a thelive audio/video data may be displayed on the user's client device 114,thereby allowing the user surveillance from the perspective of thedoorbell 130. When the user is satisfied with this function, the usermay sever the connection at block B312, whereby the session ends. If,however, at block B308 the user denies the notification, or ignores thenotification and a specified time interval elapses, then the connectionbetween the doorbell 130 and the user's client device 114 is terminatedand the audio/video data is recorded and stored at a cloud server atblock B310 b, such that the user may view the audio/video data later attheir convenience. The doorbell 130 may be configured to record for aspecified period of time in the event the notification in block B308 isdenied or ignored. If such a time period is set, the doorbell 130 mayrecord data for that period of time before ceasing operation at blockB312 thereby ending the session. In some embodiments, the audio and/orvideo data may be recorded and stored at a cloud server (block B310 b)even if the user accepts the notification and communicates with thevisitor through the user's client device 114.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. At block B400, theuser may select a “snooze time-out,” which is a time period during whichthe doorbell 130 may deactivate or otherwise not respond to stimuli(such as light, sound, or heat signatures) after an operation isperformed, e.g. a notification is either accepted or denied/ignored. Forexample, the user may set a snooze time-out of 15 minutes. At blockB402, an object moves into the field of view of one or more of the PIRsensors 144. At block B404, the microcontroller 163 may trigger thecommunication module 164 to send a request to a network device. In blockB406, the network device may connect the doorbell 130 to the user'sclient device 114 through the user's network 110 and the network 112. Atblock B408, audio/video data captured by the doorbell 130 may bestreamed to the user's client device 114. At block B410, the user mayreceive a notification prompting the user to either accept ordeny/ignore the request. If the request is denied or ignored, then atblock B412 b audio/video data may be recorded and stored at a cloudserver. After the doorbell 130 finishes recording, the objects mayremain in the PIR sensor 144 field of view at block B414. In block B416,the microcontroller 163 waits for the “snooze time” to elapse, e.g. 15minutes, before triggering the communication module 164 to submitanother request to the network device. After the snooze time, e.g. 15minutes, elapses, the process moves back to block B404 and progresses asdescribed above. The cycle may continue like this until the user acceptsthe notification request at block B410. The process then moves to blockB412 a, where live audio and/or video data is displayed on the user'sclient device 114, thereby allowing the user surveillance from theperspective of the doorbell 130. At the user's request, the connectionmay be severed and the session ends at block B418. At this point theuser may elect for the process to revert back to block B416, wherebythere may be no further response until the snooze time, e.g. 15 minutes,has elapsed from the end of the previous session, or the user may electfor the process to return to block B402 and receive a notification thenext time an object is perceived by one or more of the PIR sensors 144.In some embodiments, the audio and/or video data may be recorded andstored at a cloud server (block B412 b) even if the user accepts thenotification and communicates with the visitor through the user's clientdevice 114.

Some of the present embodiments may include an external solar panel forproviding power to the A/V recording and communication device. Forexample, FIG. 16 illustrates a solar panel 450 comprising a plurality ofphotovoltaic modules 452 including a packaged, connected assembly ofsolar cells. The solar modules 452 use light energy (photons) from thesun to generate electricity through the photovoltaic effect. The solarmodules 452 may include, for example, wafer-based crystalline siliconcells and/or thin-film cells based on, for example, cadmium telluride orsilicon. The solar cells are secured to a structural (load carrying)member 454, and may be rigid or semi-flexible. In one non-limitingexample, the total output power of the solar panel 450 may range fromabout 0.1 watts to about 5 watts, such as from about 0.5 watts to about1 watt.

The solar panel 450 may include a power cable 456 having a connector(not shown) at a distal end. The connector may comprise, for example, amicro-USB or other connector configured to be received by the connector160 of the doorbell 130. When the solar panel 450 is connected to thedoorbell 130 via the power cable 456 and the connectors, the solar panel450 may provide power to the doorbell 130 to recharge the battery 166and/or to power other components of the doorbell 130.

Video On Demand

As described above, one aspect of the present embodiments includes therealization that from time to time it may be advantageous for a user tobe able to remotely access the camera of his or her A/V recording andcommunication device(s). Such functionality would enable the user toobserve remotely any events taking place in the field of view of thecamera, thereby enhancing the security provided by the A/V recording andcommunication device(s).

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a processaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. In certainembodiments, the user may be able to initiate a procedure for accessingthe camera 134. For example, in the processes described above, the useris only able to view streaming video images from the camera 134 afterthe doorbell 130 initiates a call with the user's client device 114. Inthe process illustrated in FIG. 17, by contrast, the user may initiate acall with the doorbell 130, thereby providing the user with “on demand”access to view streaming video images from the camera 134. The abilityto view events taking place in the field of view of the camera 134enhances the functionality of, and the security provided by, the A/Vcommunication doorbell 130. To enable this functionality, however, thepresent embodiments have solved the issue of how to enable remote accessto the camera 134 despite the doorbell 130 being protected behind anetwork firewall. This solution is described in further detail below.

With reference to FIG. 17, at block B500, the processor transitions froma low-power state to an active state, and the doorbell 130 then sends adata request to a network device to determine whether a user request toaccess the camera 134 has been received by the network device. Theprocessor may comprise, for example, the communication module 164, andthe network device may comprise, for example, a server 118 in thenetwork 112. To send the data request to the server 118, the user mayopen a software application on his or her client device 114 and select acamera access option, such as by selecting from a menu of commands, ortapping a camera button on the display, etc. The user may then wait forvideo images from the camera 134 to begin displaying on the display ofthe client device 114.

In some embodiments, the data request may comprise a Hypertext TransferProtocol (HTTP) “get,” which may be sent from the doorbell 130 to aserver 118 in the network 112. HTTP is an application protocol fordistributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems, and is thefoundation of data communication for the World Wide Web (Internet). HTTPfunctions as a request-response protocol in the client-server computingmodel, and an HTTP session is a sequence of network request-responsetransactions. An HTTP client initiates a request by establishing aTransmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection to a particular port on aserver. An HTTP server listening on that port waits for a client'srequest message. Upon receiving the request, the server sends back astatus line and a message of its own. The body of this message istypically the requested resource, although an error message or otherinformation may also be returned. Further information about HTTP isavailable in the six-part HTTP/1.1 specification (RFC7230-RFC7235),published in June 2014 by the HTTP Working Group (HTTPbis), which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

With further reference to FIG. 17, at block B502, it is determinedwhether a user request to access the camera 134 has been received by thenetwork device. This determination may be based on the response that thedoorbell 130 receives from the network device. Thus, if the processor(e.g. the communication module 164) receives a positive response fromthe network device, then it is determined that a user request to accessthe camera 134 has been received by the network device, and then, atblock B504, the camera 134 captures video images from a field of view ofthe camera 134. If, however, the processor (e.g. the communicationmodule 164) receives a negative response from the network device, thenit is determined that no user request to access the camera 134 has beenreceived by the network device, and then, at block B506, the processorreverts from the active state to the low-power state. The process thengoes back to block B500 and repeats blocks B500 and B502. In someembodiments, the positive response from the network device may comprisea HTTP 200 status code. Also in some embodiments, the negative responsefrom the network device may comprise a HTTP 404 status code.

As described above with reference to block B500, the processortransitions from a low-power state to an active state. In order toconserve power in the battery 166, the doorbell 130 may be in alow-power state whenever there is no activity in the vicinity of thedoorbell (e.g. no motion detected and/or no presses of the button 133).For example, all or substantially all of the components of the doorbell130 may be powered off when the doorbell 130 is in the low-power state.The communication module 164, however, may periodically transition fromthe low-power state to the active state in order to communicate with theuser's network 110 (such as with a router in the network 110). Withoutthis periodic “check-in” between the doorbell 130 and the router, therouter may determine that the doorbell 130 is no longer connected to thenetwork 110, and may therefore deauthenticate the doorbell 130. Thisperiodic router check in may happen according to a preset interval (maybe referred to as a “keep-alive” interval), such as every 45 seconds.

For the present video on demand processes, however, a check-in intervalof 45 seconds may create undesirable latency (e.g. the user would haveto wait a long time before video images would first appear on the clientdevice 114). Further, the check-in between the doorbell 130 and therouter may not include any communication between the doorbell 130 andthe network 112. Still further, the user may not be able to directlyaccess the camera 134 using the client device 114, because the doorbell130 may be behind a firewall. The present embodiments solve all of theseproblems by causing the doorbell 130 to periodically communicate withthe network 112 according to a preset interval, where the presetinterval is shorter than the preset interval for the periodic check-inbetween the doorbell 130 and the router in the user's network 110.

Thus, in the present embodiments, the user, through a softwareapplication running on the client device 114, makes a request to thenetwork 112 to access the camera 134. That request is stored at thenetwork device (e.g. the server 118) until the next time the doorbell130 communicates with the network 112. Then, after the preset intervalelapses, the communication module 164 sends a request to the network 112to check whether any user requests to access the camera 134 have beenreceived. If no user request has been received, the network device (e.g.the server 118) responds in the negative and the communication module164 reverts to the low-power state. If, however, a user request has beenreceived, the network device (e.g. the server 118) responds in theaffirmative and the communication module 164 notifies the camera 134,which then begins capturing video images. In one non-limiting example,the preset interval for the periodic communication between thecommunication module 164 and the network device may be 10 seconds. Asfurther described below, however, the length of the preset interval maybe adjusted upward or downward in order to balance the competinginterests of reducing latency (e.g. reducing the delay that the user mayexperience when trying to access the camera 134) and conserving batterylife.

If the communication module 164 receives the negative response from thenetwork device and reverts to the low-power state, then thecommunication module 164 waits for the preset interval to elapse again,and then again transitions from the low-power state to the active stateand the doorbell 130 sends another data request to the network device todetermine whether a user request to access the camera 134 has beenreceived by the network device. This process may repeat until thecommunication module 164 receives a positive response from the networkdevice. Also, if the communication module 164 receives a positiveresponse from the network device and the camera 134 begins capturingvideo images, the doorbell 130 may also transmit the video images to thenetwork 112, which may then route the video images to the client device114. Further, if the communication module 164 receives a positiveresponse from the network device and the camera 134 begins capturingvideo images, the camera 134 may power up from a dormant state orpowered-off state prior to capturing the video images from the field ofview of the camera 134.

As described above, the present embodiments advantageously enable a userto initiate access to the camera 134 of the A/V communication doorbell130. By enabling the user to send an access request to the network 112,and by enabling the doorbell 130 to periodically check with the network112 to see if any user access requests have been received, the presentembodiments solve the issues of reducing latency and enabling the userto access the camera 134 despite the fact that the doorbell 130 may bebehind a network firewall.

As described above, the length of the preset interval (the intervalbetween instances of the doorbell 130 sending a request to the network112 to check whether any user requests to access the camera 134 havebeen received) may be adjusted upward or downward in order to balancethe competing interests of reducing latency (e.g. reducing the delaythat the user may experience when trying to access the camera 134) andconserving battery life. If the preset interval is relatively short, theuser will experience less latency when accessing the camera 134 becausethe doorbell 130 will check more frequently whether any user requests toaccess the camera 134 have been received, but the battery 134 will drainmore rapidly because the communication module 164 will transition fromthe low-power state to the active state more frequently. Conversely, ifthe preset interval is relatively long, the user will experience morelatency when accessing the camera 134 because the doorbell 130 willcheck less frequently whether any user requests to access the camera 134have been received, but the battery 134 will drain less rapidly becausethe communication module 164 will transition from the low-power state tothe active state less frequently. The present embodiments advantageouslybalance these competing interests by initially setting the length of thepreset interval to be relatively short to reduce latency, butautomatically increasing the length of the preset interval as thebattery charge is depleted, thereby extending battery life. And, thepresent embodiments also advantageously enable the length of the presetinterval to be increased after the battery is recharged, therebyreducing latency.

For example, with reference to FIG. 18, at block B510, the networkdevice (e.g. the server 118) receives an indicator from the doorbell 130of the charge level in the battery 166. In some embodiments, thedoorbell 130 may send the indicator of the battery charge level to thenetwork device each time the doorbell 130 sends the data request to thenetwork device to determine whether a user request to access the camera134 has been received by the network device. In other embodiments, thedoorbell 130 may send the indicator of the battery charge level to thenetwork device less frequently, such as once per week, once per day,once per hour, etc. The process then moves to block B512, where thenetwork device compares the charge level in the battery 166 to a firstthreshold value to determine whether the battery charge level is belowthe first threshold value. If it is determined that the battery chargelevel is not below the first threshold value, then the process moves toblock B514, where the network device determines whether the batterycharge level is greater than it was in the previous indicator receivedfrom the doorbell 130. The battery charge level might be greater than itwas in the previous indicator if, for example, the battery 166 wasrecharged since the previous indicator was received. If it is determinedthat the battery charge level is not greater than it was in the previousindicator received from the doorbell 130, then the process returns toblock B510. If, however, it is determined at block B514 that the batterycharge level is greater than it was in the previous indicator receivedfrom the doorbell 130, then the process moves to block B516, where thenetwork device sends a command to the doorbell 130 (and the doorbell 130receives the command from the network device) to set the length of thepreset interval to the initial value. The initial value represents theshortest interval between instances of the doorbell 130 checking withthe network device to see if any user requests to access the camera 134have been received. The length of the preset interval will typically beset to the initial value after the battery 166 has been rechargedsufficiently that the battery charge level is greater than the firstthreshold value. The process then returns to block B510.

Returning to block B512, if it is determined that the battery chargelevel is below the first threshold value, then the process moves toblock B518, where the network device compares the charge level in thebattery 166 to a second threshold value to determine whether the batterycharge level is below the second threshold value. If it is determinedthat the battery charge level is not below the second threshold value,then the process moves to block B520, where the network devicedetermines whether the length of the preset interval was changed afterthe previous indicator was received from the doorbell 130. If it isdetermined that the length of the preset interval was changed after theprevious indicator was received from the doorbell 130, then the processreturns to block B510. If, however, it is determined at block B520 thatthe length of the preset interval was not changed after the previousindicator was received from the doorbell 130, then the process moves toblock B522, where the network device sends a command to the doorbell 130(and the doorbell 130 receives the command from the network device) toset the length of the preset interval to the initial value plus a firstincrement. The initial value plus the first increment represents alonger interval (compared to the initial value) between instances of thedoorbell 130 checking with the network device to see if any userrequests to access the camera 134 have been received. The length of thepreset interval will typically be set to the initial value plus thefirst increment after the battery 166 has drained to the point that thebattery charge level is lower than the first threshold value but greaterthan the second threshold value, or after the battery 166 has beenrecharged sufficiently that the battery charge level is lower than thefirst threshold value but greater than the second threshold value. Theprocess then returns to block B510.

Returning to block B518, if it is determined that the battery chargelevel is below the second threshold value, then the process moves toblock B524, where the network device compares the charge level in thebattery 166 to a third threshold value to determine whether the batterycharge level is below the third threshold value. If it is determinedthat the battery charge level is not below the third threshold value,then the process moves to block B526, where the network devicedetermines whether the length of the preset interval was changed afterthe previous indicator was received from the doorbell 130. If it isdetermined that the length of the preset interval was changed after theprevious indicator was received from the doorbell 130, then the processreturns to block B510. If, however, it is determined at block B526 thatthe length of the preset interval was not changed after the previousindicator was received from the doorbell 130, then the process moves toblock B528, where the network device sends a command to the doorbell 130(and the doorbell 130 receives the command from the network device) toset the length of the preset interval to the initial value plus a secondincrement. The initial value plus the second increment represents alonger interval (compared to the initial value, and compared to theinitial value plus the first increment) between instances of thedoorbell 130 checking with the network device to see if any userrequests to access the camera 134 have been received. The length of thepreset interval will typically be set to the initial value plus thesecond increment after the battery 166 has drained to the point that thebattery charge level is lower than the second threshold value butgreater than the third threshold value, or after the battery 166 hasbeen recharged sufficiently that the battery charge level is lower thanthe second threshold value but greater than the third threshold value.The process then returns to block B510.

Returning to block B524, if it is determined that the battery chargelevel is below the third threshold value, then the process moves toblock B530, where the network device sends a command to the doorbell 130(and the doorbell 130 receives the command from the network device) todisable the video on demand feature. After the video on demand featureis disabled, the network device will not receive any further indicatorsfrom the doorbell 130 of the battery charge level until the battery 166is recharged. Thus, the doorbell 130 may no longer send data requests tothe network device (as described with reference to block B500) after thevideo on demand feature is disabled. Instead, the doorbell 130 mayrevert to the periodic router check in (the “keep-alive” interval)described above. The video on demand feature may be re-enabled after thebattery 166 has been recharged. For example, the charge level of thebattery 166 may be provided to the network device periodically, such asin a routine status report. The doorbell 130 may send such statusreports daily, for example. After the battery 166 has been recharged,the next status report will indicate the recharged level of the battery166, and the network device may subsequently send a command to thedoorbell 130 to re-enable the video on demand feature.

The foregoing process advantageously allows the length of the presetinterval (the interval between instances of the doorbell 130 sending arequest to the network 112 to check whether any user requests to accessthe camera 134 have been received) to be increased as the charge levelof the battery 166 decreases. Thus, as the charge in the battery 166drains, the doorbell 130 will check less and less frequently with thenetwork device to determine whether any user requests to access thecamera 134 have been received. The communication module 164 willtherefore transition from the low-power state to the active state lessand less frequently, thereby prolonging the life of the battery 166.After the battery 166 is recharged, the process will resume, with thelength of the preset interval being set according to the degree to whichthe battery 166 is recharged. If the battery 166 is fully recharged, thepreset interval will be set to the initial value. If the battery 166 isrecharged such that the charge level falls between the first and secondthreshold values, the preset interval will be set to the initial valueplus the first increment. If the battery 166 is recharged such that thecharge level falls between the second and third threshold values, thepreset interval will be set to the initial value plus the secondincrement.

The first threshold value, the second threshold value, and the thirdthreshold value may be set to any values as desired. In one non-limitingexample, the first threshold value may be set to 75% (75% of thebattery's maximum capacity), the second threshold value may be set to50% (50% of the battery's maximum capacity), and the third thresholdvalue may be set to 25% (25% of the battery's maximum capacity). In thisexample, the length of the preset interval will be increased when thecharge level of the battery dips below 75% of the battery's maximumcapacity, increased again when the charge level of the battery dipsbelow 50% of the battery's maximum capacity, and the video on demandfeature will be disabled when the charge level of the battery dips below25% of the battery's maximum capacity.

In alternative embodiments, fewer threshold values may be set. Forexample, if only one threshold value is set, then the flowchart of FIG.18 may be condensed to eliminate all blocks except blocks B510, B512,and B530. In this alternative embodiment, if it is determined at blockB512 that the battery charge level is below the first (and only)threshold value, then the process moves directly to block B530, wherethe network device sends a command to the doorbell 130 (and the doorbell130 receives the command from the network device) to disable the videoon demand feature. If, however, it is determined at block B512 that thebattery charge level is not below the first (and only) threshold value,then the process returns to block B510.

In another example, if only two threshold values are set, then theflowchart of FIG. 18 may be condensed to eliminate blocks B524-B528. Inthis alternative embodiment, if it is determined at block B518 that thebattery charge level is below the second threshold value, then theprocess moves directly to block B530, where the network device sends acommand to the doorbell 130 (and the doorbell 130 receives the commandfrom the network device) to disable the video on demand feature. Instill further examples, more than three threshold values may be set,such as four threshold values, five threshold values, six thresholdvalues, etc.

The initial value of the preset interval, as well as the values of thefirst increment and the second increment, may be set to any values asdesired. In one non-limiting example, the initial value of the presetinterval may be 10 seconds, and the first and second increments may alsobe set to 10 seconds. In this example, the length of the preset intervalwill be set to 20 seconds at block B522, and set to 30 seconds at blockB528. In alternative embodiments, the values of the first and secondincrements may be different from one another. For example, the firstincrement may be 5 seconds, or 10 seconds, or 15 seconds, (or any othervalue), and the second increment may be 5 seconds, or 10 seconds, or 15seconds, (or any other value).

The present embodiments have been described with reference to thedoorbell 130 illustrated in FIGS. 2-12. It should be understood,however, that the present embodiments are equally applicable to any A/Vrecording and communication device that is capable of recording videofootage and/or audio and transmitting the recorded video footage and/oraudio. In certain embodiments, for example, the A/V recording andcommunication device may not be a doorbell, but may be, for example, anA/V recording and communication security camera. An example A/Vrecording and communication security camera may include substantiallyall of the structure and functionality of the doorbell 130, but withoutthe front button 133, the button actuator, and/or the light pipe 136. Anexample A/V recording and communication security camera may further omitother components, such as, for example, the bracket PCB 149 and itscomponents.

FIG. 19 is a functional block diagram of a client device 850 on whichthe present embodiments may be implemented according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. The user's client device 114 described withreference to FIG. 1 may include some or all of the components and/orfunctionality of the client device 850. The client device 850 maycomprise, for example, a smartphone.

With reference to FIG. 19, the client device 850 includes a processor852, a memory 854, a user interface 856, a communication module 858, anda dataport 860. These components are communicatively coupled together byan interconnect bus 862. The processor 852 may include any processorused in smartphones and/or portable computing devices, such as an ARMprocessor (a processor based on the RISC (reduced instruction setcomputer) architecture developed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM).). Insome embodiments, the processor 852 may include one or more otherprocessors, such as one or more conventional microprocessors, and/or oneor more supplementary co-processors, such as math co-processors.

The memory 854 may include both operating memory, such as random accessmemory (RAM), as well as data storage, such as read-only memory (ROM),hard drives, flash memory, or any other suitable memory/storage element.The memory 854 may include removable memory elements, such as aCompactFlash card, a MultiMediaCard (MMC), and/or a Secure Digital (SD)card. In some embodiments, the memory 854 may comprise a combination ofmagnetic, optical, and/or semiconductor memory, and may include, forexample, RAM, ROM, flash drive, and/or a hard disk or drive. Theprocessor 852 and the memory 854 each may be, for example, locatedentirely within a single device, or may be connected to each other by acommunication medium, such as a USB port, a serial port cable, a coaxialcable, an Ethernet-type cable, a telephone line, a radio frequencytransceiver, or other similar wireless or wired medium or combination ofthe foregoing. For example, the processor 852 may be connected to thememory 854 via the dataport 860.

The user interface 856 may include any user interface or presentationelements suitable for a smartphone and/or a portable computing device,such as a keypad, a display screen, a touchscreen, a microphone, and aspeaker. The communication module 858 is configured to handlecommunication links between the client device 850 and other, externaldevices or receivers, and to route incoming/outgoing data appropriately.For example, inbound data from the dataport 860 may be routed throughthe communication module 858 before being directed to the processor 852,and outbound data from the processor 852 may be routed through thecommunication module 858 before being directed to the dataport 860. Thecommunication module 858 may include one or more transceiver modulescapable of transmitting and receiving data, and using, for example, oneor more protocols and/or technologies, such as GSM, UMTS (3GSM), IS-95(CDMA one), IS-2000 (CDMA 2000), LTE, FDMA, TDMA, W-CDMA, CDMA, OFDMA,Wi-Fi, WiMAX, or any other protocol and/or technology.

The dataport 860 may be any type of connector used for physicallyinterfacing with a smartphone and/or a portable computing device, suchas a mini-USB port or an IPHONE®/IPOD® 30-pin connector or LIGHTNING®connector. In other embodiments, the dataport 860 may include multiplecommunication channels for simultaneous communication with, for example,other processors, servers, and/or client terminals.

The memory 854 may store instructions for communicating with othersystems, such as a computer. The memory 854 may store, for example, aprogram (e.g., computer program code) adapted to direct the processor852 in accordance with the present embodiments. The instructions alsomay include program elements, such as an operating system. Whileexecution of sequences of instructions in the program causes theprocessor 852 to perform the process steps described herein, hard-wiredcircuitry may be used in place of, or in combination with,software/firmware instructions for implementation of the processes ofthe present embodiments. Thus, the present embodiments are not limitedto any specific combination of hardware and software.

FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram of a general-purpose computingsystem on which the present embodiments may be implemented according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure. The computer system 900 mayexecute at least some of the operations described above. The computersystem 900 may be embodied in at least one of a personal computer (alsoreferred to as a desktop computer) 900A, a portable computer (alsoreferred to as a laptop or notebook computer) 900B, and/or a server900C. A server is a computer program and/or a machine that waits forrequests from other machines or software (clients) and responds to them.A server typically processes data. The purpose of a server is to sharedata and/or hardware and/or software resources among clients. Thisarchitecture is called the client—server model. The clients may run onthe same computer or may connect to the server over a network. Examplesof computing servers include database servers, file servers, mailservers, print servers, web servers, game servers, and applicationservers. The term server may be construed broadly to include anycomputerized process that shares a resource to one or more clientprocesses.

The computer system 900 may include at least one processor 910, memory920, at least one storage device 930, and input/output (I/O) devices940. Some or all of the components 910, 920, 930, 940 may beinterconnected via a system bus 950. The processor 910 may be single- ormulti-threaded and may have one or more cores. The processor 910 mayexecute instructions, such as those stored in the memory 920 and/or inthe storage device 930. Information may be received and output using oneor more I/O devices 940.

The memory 920 may store information, and may be a computer-readablemedium, such as volatile or non-volatile memory. The storage device(s)930 may provide storage for the system 900, and may be acomputer-readable medium. In various aspects, the storage device(s) 930may be a flash memory device, a hard disk device, an optical diskdevice, a tape device, or any other type of storage device.

The I/O devices 940 may provide input/output operations for the system900. The I/O devices 940 may include a keyboard, a pointing device,and/or a microphone. The I/O devices 940 may further include a displayunit for displaying graphical user interfaces, a speaker, and/or aprinter. External data may be stored in one or more accessible externaldatabases 960.

The features of the present embodiments described herein may beimplemented in digital electronic circuitry, and/or in computerhardware, firmware, software, and/or in combinations thereof. Featuresof the present embodiments may be implemented in a computer programproduct tangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as amachine-readable storage device, and/or in a propagated signal, forexecution by a programmable processor. Embodiments of the present methodsteps may be performed by a programmable processor executing a programof instructions to perform functions of the described implementations byoperating on input data and generating output.

The features of the present embodiments described herein may beimplemented in one or more computer programs that are executable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processorcoupled to receive data and/or instructions from, and to transmit dataand/or instructions to, a data storage system, at least one inputdevice, and at least one output device. A computer program may include aset of instructions that may be used, directly or indirectly, in acomputer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result.A computer program may be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it may be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component,subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.

Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions mayinclude, for example, both general and special purpose processors,and/or the sole processor or one of multiple processors of any kind ofcomputer. Generally, a processor may receive instructions and/or datafrom a read only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM), or both.Such a computer may include a processor for executing instructions andone or more memories for storing instructions and/or data.

Generally, a computer may also include, or be operatively coupled tocommunicate with, one or more mass storage devices for storing datafiles. Such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disksand/or removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and/or optical disks.Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer programinstructions and/or data may include all forms of non-volatile memory,including for example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM,EEPROM, and flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as internal harddisks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROMdisks. The processor and the memory may be supplemented by, orincorporated in, one or more ASICs (application-specific integratedcircuits).

To provide for interaction with a user, the features of the presentembodiments may be implemented on a computer having a display device,such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displayinginformation to the user. The computer may further include a keyboard, apointing device, such as a mouse or a trackball, and/or a touchscreen bywhich the user may provide input to the computer.

The features of the present embodiments may be implemented in a computersystem that includes a back-end component, such as a data server, and/orthat includes a middleware component, such as an application server oran Internet server, and/or that includes a front-end component, such asa client computer having a graphical user interface (GUI) and/or anInternet browser, or any combination of these. The components of thesystem may be connected by any form or medium of digital datacommunication, such as a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks may include, for example, a LAN (local areanetwork), a WAN (wide area network), and/or the computers and networksforming the Internet.

The computer system may include clients and servers. A client and servermay be remote from each other and interact through a network, such asthose described herein. The relationship of client and server may ariseby virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers andhaving a client-server relationship to each other.

The above description presents the best mode contemplated for carryingout the present embodiments, and of the manner and process of practicingthem, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable anyperson skilled in the art to which they pertain to practice theseembodiments. The present embodiments are, however, susceptible tomodifications and alternate constructions from those discussed abovethat are fully equivalent. Consequently, the present invention is notlimited to the particular embodiments disclosed. On the contrary, thepresent invention covers all modifications and alternate constructionscoming within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Forexample, the steps in the processes described herein need not beperformed in the same order as they have been presented, and may beperformed in any order(s). Further, steps that have been presented asbeing performed separately may in alternative embodiments be performedconcurrently. Likewise, steps that have been presented as beingperformed concurrently may in alternative embodiments be performedseparately.

What is claimed is:
 1. An audio/video (A/V) recording and communicationdevice, comprising: a camera; a battery; a communication module; and aprocessor configured to execute instructions whereby: the processortransitions from a low-power state to an active state, and then sends adata request to a network device, using the communication module, todetermine whether a user request to access the camera has been receivedby the network device; the processor receives, using the communicationmodule, a negative response from the network device and determines thatno user request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice using the negative response, and then the processor reverts fromthe active state to the low-power state, and then the processor waitsfor an interval, and then the processor transitions from the low-powerstate to the active state, and then sends, using the communicationmodule, another data request to the network device to determine whethera user request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice; and the processor receives, using the communication module, acommand from the network device instructing the processor to increasethe interval, wherein the increase in the interval is greater when anamount of charge left in the battery is below a second threshold valuethan when the amount of charge left in the battery is below a firstthreshold value but above the second threshold value.
 2. The A/Vrecording and communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute instructions whereby: the processorreceives, using the communication module, a positive response from thenetwork device and determines that a user request to access the camerahas been received by the network device using the positive response, andthen the camera captures video images from a field of view of thecamera.
 3. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 2,wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructionswhereby: the processor transmits, using the communication module, thevideo images to the network device.
 4. The A/V recording andcommunication device of claim 1, wherein the data request includes afirst battery charge level indicative of the amount of charge left inthe battery and the another data request includes a second batterycharge level indicative of the amount of charge left in the battery. 5.The A/V recording and communication device of claim 2, wherein thecamera is in a dormant state until the processor determines that theuser request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice, and the camera powers on from the dormant state prior tocapturing the video images.
 6. The A/V recording and communicationdevice of claim 1, wherein the network device is at least one of aserver, an application programming interface (API), and a storagedevice.
 7. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 1,wherein the A/V recording and communication device is one of a doorbelland a security camera.
 8. The A/V recording and communication device ofclaim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to executeinstructions whereby: the processor receives, using the communicationmodule, a command from the network device instructing the processor todisable sending data requests to the network device to determine whethera user request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice in response to the amount of charge left in the battery beingbelow a third threshold value less than the second threshold value; andthe processor then stops sending data requests to the network device todetermine whether a user request to access the camera has been receivedby the network device.
 9. The A/V recording and communication device ofclaim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to executeinstructions whereby: the processor receives, using the communicationmodule, a command from the network device instructing the processor toagain send data requests to the network device at a second interval. 10.The A/V recording and communication device of claim 9, wherein thesecond interval is less when the amount of charge left in the battery isabove the first threshold than when the amount of charge left in thebattery is above the second threshold and below the first threshold, andthe second interval is less when the amount of charge left in thebattery is above the second threshold and below the first threshold thanwhen the amount of charge left in the battery is above the thirdthreshold and below the second threshold.
 11. An audio/video (A/V)recording and communication device, comprising: a camera; a battery; acommunication module; and a processor configured to execute instructionswhereby: the processor transitions from a low-power state to an activestate, and then sends a data request to a network device to determinewhether a user request to access the camera has been received by thenetwork device; the processor receives, using the communication module,a negative response from the network device and determines that no userrequest to access the camera has been received by the network deviceusing the negative response; the processor reverts from the active stateto the low-power state, and then the processor waits for a presetinterval, and then the processor again transitions from the low-powerstate to the active state, and then sends, using the communicationmodule, another data request to the network device to determine whethera user request to access the camera has been received by the networkdevice; the processor receives, using the communication module, acommand from the network device instructing the processor to disablesending data requests to the network device until a battery charge levelindicative of the amount of charge left in the battery is above athreshold value; and the processor stops sending data requests to thenetwork device to determine whether a user request to access the camerahas been received by the network device and the processor reverts fromthe active state to the low-power state.
 12. The A/V recording andcommunication device of claim 11, wherein the A/V recording andcommunication device is connected to a solar panel that provides powerto recharge the battery.
 13. The A/V recording and communication deviceof claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to executeinstructions whereby: the processor waits for the battery to recharge,and then the processor again transitions from the low-power state to theactive state, and then sends a subsequent data request to the networkdevice to determine whether a user request to access the camera has beenreceived by the network device.
 14. The A/V recording and communicationdevice of claim 11, wherein the data request includes a first batterycharge level indicative of the amount of charge left in the battery andthe another data request includes a second battery charge levelindicative of the amount of charge left in the battery.
 15. The A/Vrecording and communication device of claim 11, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute instructions whereby: the processorreceives, using the communication module, a positive response from thenetwork device and determines that a user request to access the camerahas been received by the network device using the positive response, andthen the camera captures video images from a field of view of thecamera.
 16. The A/V recording and communication device of claim 15,wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructionswhereby: the processor transmits, using the communication module, thevideo images to the network device.
 17. The A/V recording andcommunication device of claim 15, wherein the camera is in a dormantstate until the processor determines that the user request to access thecamera has been received by the network device, and the camera powers onfrom the dormant state prior to capturing the video images.
 18. The A/Vrecording and communication device of claim 11, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute instructions whereby: the processorreceives, using the communication module, a command from the networkdevice instructing the processor to again send data requests to thenetwork device at the preset interval.
 19. The A/V recording andcommunication device of claim 11, wherein the network device is at leastone of a server, an application programming interface (API), and astorage device.
 20. The A/V recording and communication device of claim11, wherein the A/V recording and communication device is one of adoorbell and a security camera.